Celebrate food, life and diversity. Join me in the search for the right ingredients: Food without human antibiotics, growth hormones and other harmful additives that have become commonplace in animals raised on factory farms.

Attention food shoppers

We are legions -- legions who are sorely neglected by the media, which prefer glorifying chefs. I love restaurants as much as anyone else, but feel that most are unresponsive to customers who want to know how the food they are eating was grown or raised.I hope my blog will be a valuable resource for helping you find the healthiest food in supermarkets, specialty stores and restaurants in northern New Jersey. In the past five years, I stopped eating meat, poultry, bread and pizza, and now focus on a heart-healthy diet of seafood, vegetables, fruit, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. I'm happiest when I am eating. -- VICTOR E. SASSON

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Are changes planned for ugliest H Mart in Bergen County?

On Saturday, the entrance to the big H Mart in Little Ferry looked less than inviting.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss food shopping at H Mart's Little Ferry store, which has seen better days; and Whole Foods Market and ShopRite, both in Paramus.

By VICTOR E. SASSONEDITORThe H Mart in Little Ferry is one of the biggest Korean supermarkets in the Hanahreum Group -- and the dowdiest.The store occupies half of a huge, one-story building that once also housed low-price retailer Valley Fair and then many small merchants under the Value Fair umbrella.But that half of the building now is empty, and H Mart doesn't seem to draw that many shoppers, even on its busiest weekend days.The H Mart in Edison has a beautiful food court, but I haven't dared eating at the faded lunch counter in Little Ferry.Why shop in Little Ferry? It usually has the best sales, beating the Englewood and Fort Lee H Marts.

The Little Ferry H Mart offers an extensive selection of traditional Korean side dishes or panchan.

Chasing sales at H Mart

We were out of Shin Ramyun Noodle Soup, a spicy instant soup, and sure enough, I found it on sale at the Little Ferry H Mart on Saturday.Sixteen 4.2-ounce portions were on sale for $10.99 with another $1 off for holders of the store card. The regular price is $16.99.A fresh green called bok choy sum was on sale for 88 cents a pound, compared to the usual price of $1.29.A head of red-leaf lettuce was 99 cents.At the Englewood H Mart on Sunday, my wife picked up fresh, wild-caught small red snapper for $2.99 a pound.Kabocha squash was on sale for 89 cents a pound.But the Korean side dishes H Mart gets from Jinga, Pinocchio and other outside caterers are going up.Stewed tofu, once $3.99, is now $4.49 or $4.99, and often the package labels don't list the weight.Stewed Alaskan pollock, once $6.99, is now $8.49.

Amex promo at Whole Foods

I registered my American Express Blue Cash credit card for a promotion at Whole Foods Market -- a $10 statement credit when you spend $75 or more.

The Blue Cash card also gives you a 3% rebate on groceries.

Shopping at the Paramus Whole Foods today for the meat eaters in the family, I bought antibiotic-free, uncured hot dogs and bacon, and baby back ribs in sauce; and frozen oxtails from animals raised naturally in the United States.

I also picked up two 1-pound boxes of 365 Everyday Value Organic Whole Wheat Shells from Italy, still $1.39 each; and a 16-ounce bottle of 365 Everyday Value Roasted Salsa Verde for $2.49.

The medium-hot salsa verde uses no sugar, unlike a similar product from Target.

The prices for the uncured bacon and hot dogs; pasta and salsa verde were less than, equal to or just a bit more than what I pay at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

Low-sodium black beans

In the Sunday paper, I found a coupon for $1 off four cans of Goya Low Sodium Black Beans.

At the Paramus ShopRite today, a 15.5-ounce can was on sale for 80 cents or 55 cents with the coupon.

A half-cup serving contains 5% of the daily recommended sodium intake, compared to 19% for the regular product.

I also picked up another 3-pound bag of triple-washed Southern's 10 in 1 Sweet Potatoes for $2.99, but seeing a scale nearby, weighed two of the bags and bought the one that weighed 3.5 pounds.

I'll cut up the small sweet potatoes, boil them with fistfuls of peeled garlic cloves, and mash them with grated reduced-fat cheese, extra-virgin olive oil and such seasonings as black pepper, cinnamon and red-pepper flakes.And I bought four ears of sweet corn from New York State for $1.99 (they turned out to be very sweet).But imagine my surprise when I stopped at Whole Foods later in the day and saw sweet Jersey corn selling for the same price (about 50 cents an ear).